ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has expressed concern over the government’s act of bypassing parliament in the formulation of the country’s first National Security Policy.

PPP Senator Raza Rabbani said in a statement on Tuesday that the National Security Policy, which had been first approved by the National Security Committee (NSC) on Monday and the next day by the federal cabinet, was denied any input from parliament.

He recalled that the government had promised to share the details of its agreement with the-then banned Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan at an appropriate time, but this never happened.

Similarly, he said, the government had pledged to place the security policy before parliament, but it was not taken into confidence on this most crucial national issue.

While approving the policy, the NSC headed by Prime Minister Imran Khan put economic stability at the core of the comprehensive national security. The NSC meeting had been attended by the ministers for foreign affairs, defence, information and broadcasting, interior, finance and human rights, the national security adviser, services chiefs and senior officials.

The five-year policy document covering the period 2022-26 is being flaunted by the government as the first-ever strategy paper of its kind that sets out the state’s national security vision and guidelines for attainment of those goals. It will guide government’s foreign, defence and economic policies and decision-making.

Although the policy will be shared publicly at a later stage, it reportedly seeks to leverage the symbiotic linkages among human security, economic security and military security with safety and prosperity of citizens being at the centre of the whole-of-government approach.

It covers both traditional and non-traditional security challenges, including economy, food, water, military security, terrorism, population growth and dealings with the external world, especially major powers.

A draft of the policy was earlier this month shared with the Par­liamentary Committee on National Security headed by National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser. The opposition parties, however, had boycotted the meeting while questioning the credibility of National Security Adviser Dr Moeed Yousuf.

Published in Dawn, December 29th, 2021